Refrigerating mechanism support and cabinet therefor



May 12, 1931. M. H SPREEN' 3 REFRIGERATING MECHANISM SUPFORT AND CABINET THEREFOR Filed June 16, 1927 L J /A .Maxwell HS o'e Invenfor (nga y Patentd May 1 2, 1931 I UNITED STA'TES MAxwELL n. emmm, o

I' DETROIT, IICEIGAN MECHANISM SUPPORT .AND CABINET THEREFOR Application filed June 16, 1927. Serial No. 199,213.

My invention relatesto mechanically refrigerated food storage cabinets, and more particularly to cabinets in which mechanical refrigerating mechanism is mounted within !the casing. V

An object of myinvention is to provide a self contained mechanically refrigerated cabinet in which the mehanical refrigeratng apparatus can be readily associated or removed 10, as a unit. V

A further object of my invention is to provide a self cntained'mechanically refrigerated cabnet havingrelatively isolated refri" erated and machinery chambers with whch a unitaryrfrigerating apparatus is laterally movable relative thereto so that the evaporator will extend into the refrigerated chamber and the Operating mechanism will extend within the machinery chamber.

. Still another object of my invention is to provide a supporting frame, for mounting the evaporator and machinery of mechanical refrigerating apparatus in separate chamhers of a refrigerator which encloses the refrigerant conne'ctions between the evaporator and machinery interiorly of a refrigerator. Other objects of the invention, more or less incidental or ancillary to the foregoing will appear in the following description which sets forth in connection with the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of the invention; v

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of a mechani-- cally refrigerated refrigerator embodying my invention. v

Figure 2 is a section of the same, taken on line- 2- -2 of Fig. 1, and

Figure 3 is a section of the same, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. t L

' Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, 11 represents a refrigerator having superposed isolated compartments 12 and 14, the upper refrigerated com artment 12 -receivi'g the cooling unit 13 o a mechanical refrgerating' apparatus and the com- `partment 14 being insulated from the refrigv erated ccpartment .to receive the machinery of the mechanical refrigerating apparatus.

The comp'artments have lateral openings on the same side of the refrigerator and are' separated by the partition 16, the front edge of whichis provided with recesses 17. Suitable movable closure members 10 are provided to close 'the lateral openings in the re- 'frigerator leading to the interior Compart- 18 which are Secured adjacent the upper ends 65 of the tubes 20. The base 19 has mounted thereupon the major portion of a compressorcondenser-evaporator refrigerating. apparatus, and directly supports all of the apparatus excepting the cooling unit,- expansion valve, refrigerant co'nduits and the thermostat control which are directly carried by tle tubes 20; A compressor 21, a driving u motor 30 and the transmission belt 3 1 exr tending therebetween are carried directly by the base 19. Likewise the con-denser 24: and a cooling fan (not shown) are also carried by the base. i r

The upright tubes 20 of the support are ^utilized to enclose the major portion of the refrigerant return conduit 23, which extends from thfiaporizer 32 to the compressor inlet 22, and the refrigerant feed conduit 28 which connects the xpansion valve mechanism 29 v with the condenser outlet( `A conduit 9 ex- 5 tends from the compressor outlet 26 to the condenser inlet 25 completing the refrigeri ant circuit.

The cooling unit 13 is carriedby the upper end of the upright tubes and the arms 18 which-extend therefrom, and consists of a brine tank 32 within which the evaporator' 'coils 8 are arrangedto sur-round a flue 35 for receiving an ice forming pan. The expansion valve 29 is carried by the cooling unit 'and connects the inlet end of the evaporator with the feed conduit 28. A thermostat 33 is also supported by the cooling unit, and is p suitably connected with 'conventional mech-` anism (not shown) for automatically con- 3 trolling the motor 30. A drain tray 36 projects from the standards 20 beneath the cooling unit to catch condensation, and is associated With the drain pipe 37 which leads the condensation exteriorly of the refrigerator in any conventional manner.

The refrigerating apparatus herein described is of the conventional automatically Operating compressor-condenser-evaporator type and a further description of the operation thereof to refrigerate the compartinent 12 is not deemed necessary to understand the invention. The refrigerating mechanism is carried entirely by the supporting frame and can be laterally moved through the openings leading to the compartments vhen" the closure members 10 are removed or opened. The upright tubes 20 can be moved into the recesses 17 in the partition 16 so that the supporting frame can be moved laterally p interiorly of the refrigerator and plugs 38 are associated With the tubes 20 to enclose the space in the recesses intermediate the tubes and the partition so that the compartments 12 and 14 will be isolated relatively;

It Will be seen that the evaporator is secured to thesupporting frame in a plane above the machinery portion of the refrigerating apparatus, so that it can be located in the refrigerated compartment while the machinery Will be located in 'the machinery compartment. It Will 'also be seen that the entire refrigerating apparatus is rem-ovab-le from the refrigerator, and that the refrigerant conduits are substantially enclosed by a portion of the supporting frame.

V changes be made in h -1 support enclosing the 'major intermediate struct-ion. described Without departing from the spirit of my invention and the scope of what is claimed. 4 What I claim is: i 1. A self contained mechanical 'efrigerator unit coniprising a cabiuet having a refrigerated compartment and a refrigerating mechanism compartment, nechanical ref'igy erating apparatus comprising refrigerant expansion means adapted to be disposed in"said refrigerated compartment and refrizrerant conpressing mechanism adapted to be disposed in said mechanism compartn'ent` a frame independent of said cabinet comprising a base on which said refrigerant compressing `mechanism' is assembled and u' rights unitary with 'said base on which said refrigerating apparatus isassembled, all as a unit, said cabinet and said frane being so constructed and arranged as to poi-mit said frame to be then inserted into said cabinet with said apparatus thereon.

2.` A self contained mechanical' 'efi igerator unit compri'sing a cabinet' having a refrigerated compartnent and a refrigerating nechanism compartment. inechanical refrigerating apparatus comprising refrigerant expansion means adap'ted to be disposed in said 'said Partition.

3. A self contained mechanic'alrefrige'rator comprsng a' cabinet having superposed compartments open at 'one sdeg' a. untary mechanical refrigerating apparatus including a frame entirely supporting an ev'apora'- i tor and machinery in different elevations for association With different compartments, said apparatus being removable laterally from said cabinet', and a movable closure for-'closing the opening leading to the refrigerated 19 compartment.

4. A' self contained'mechancal refrigerator comprising a cabinet having thermally isolated compartments, a support extending into said compartments, an evaporator carried by said support within one of saidcompartment's, .ompressor-condenser mechanism carried by said support 'in' another of said compartments; and refrigerant Conduit means extending from said evaporator to x' said compressor-condenser mechanism',-.said

portions of' said refrigerant Conduit means.

5. The combination 'with an nsulated rei frigerating c'ompartment having a machine com'partment associated therewith; ofa machinery' base' arranged within the machine compartment, a refrigerant condensing unit rigidly Secured to ahd supported by said base, a rigid refrigerano evaporatingunit support& connected to said base and projecting laterally therefrom into the aforesaid insulated refrigerating compartment, a refrigerant evaporating unit arranged in the refrigerating coinpartment in the path of circulating air therein,' said evaporating unit being. rigidly: Secured to and entirely supported by the aforesa'id support, and

'means disposed internally of the aforesaid support .for connecting the evap'orating unit with the condensing unit for the circulation of refrigerant fluid therebetw'een.

6. The combination with an insulated refrigerating compartment having a horizontally disposed Wall and a door opening, of-a nctch projecting into the horizontally disposed wall immediately adjacent the. aforesaid door opening, a machine compartment arranged externally of the refrigerating compartment beyond the horizontally disposed wall, a, machinery base arranged within the machine compartment, a refrigerant condensing unit Secured to and supported by the letter, a, refrigerant evaporatin unit support rigidly Secured to the aforesa base and projecting into the interior of the refrigerating compartment through the notch in the horizontally disposed wall, a, refri erant evaporating unit rigidly secured to an supported in the interior of the refrigeratincgi com'partment bythe aforesaid sup ort, an means projecting longitudnally o the su port and disposed inside the per' heral limits of the latter for circulating refrgerant fluid between the evaporating and condensing units.

7. The combination with an insulated refrigerating compartment having a horizontally disposed wall and a door opening, of a. notch p'ojecting into the horizo'ntally (lisposed wall immediately adjacent the aforesaid door opening, a machine' compartment arranged externally of the ref'igerating compartment beyond the horizontally disposed wall, a machinery base arranged within the machine compartment, a refrigerant condensing unit Secured to and supported by the latter, a refrigerant evaporating unit support rigidly Secured to the aforesaid base and projecting into the interior of the refrigerating compartment through the notch in the hori-' zontally disposed wall, a refrigerant evaporatingiunit rigidly Secured to, and supported in the interor of the refrigerating Compartment by the aforesaid support, and means. for circulating refrigerant fluid between the evaporating unit and the condensin chinery base, and evaporating ,unit support being insertible into and removable from the refrigerating and n'achinery compartments by movement in planes arallel to the &foresaid horzontally disposed partition.

8., The combination with an insulted refrigerating compartment having a plurality of vertically rdisposed' walls closed by hori- *zontally disposed walls at'opposite ends of the v letter, a machinery compartment arranged externally of the refrigerating compartment beyond one of the aforesaid horizontally disposed walls, a. refrigerant condensing unit disposed in the machinery compartment, a. refrigerant evaporating unit disposed in the refrigerating compartment; a, rigd support extendng in close proximity to one of the walls of the refrigerating compartment, and means for securng the refrigerant condensing and evaporating units rigidly to the support adj acent the opposite ends thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature. i u u v MAXWELL H. SPREEN.

said evaporating unit, condensing unt, 'ma- 

